The present invention relates to a dry mix for use in preparing sauces for foodstuffs, and more particularly, to a dry mix capable of producing a sauce incident to the process of cooking the foodstuffs.
It is well-known, of course, that the palatability of many foods such as meat and poultry can be enhanced through the provision of a sauce (or gravy) on or in association with the food. These sauces can run the gamut from simply the natural juices exuded by the meat or poultry during cooking, sauces which are prepared utilizing natural meat juices (e.g., such as where starch or flour is added to pan drippings), and sauces which are separately prepared independent of the cooking of the meat or poultry.
As a convenience to the consumer, a number of products exist in the market which are pre-packaged combinations of meat or poultry and a thickened gravy, which products may then be thawed and heated or cooked by the consumer to provide a meat-in-gravy entree. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,974 to Fonteneau, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 3,681,094 to Rogers, et al.
Many consumers prefer, however, to utilize their own selected and purchased meats in preparing meals. As a convenience to these consumers, there is available in the market a wide variety of dry mixes which can be reconstituted with boiling water and/or meat juices to produce a thickened sauce which can then be served on or in association with the meat, e.g., in the nature of a brown gravy for beef or a chicken gravy or the like. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,599 to Bos; U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,090 to Bohrmann, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,294 to Rakosky.
Even with dry mixes, however, there is still a matter of inconvenience associated with the need to separately prepare the sauce while separately preparing (i.e., cooking) the meat course. Also, for a number of products, it is desirable for the sauce to develop along with the meat in order to obtain the full benefit of the meat flavors into the sauce as well as to obtain the full benefit of the sauce ingredients into the meat.